A Tennessee grand jury has handed down a first-degree murder indictment against former NFL linebacker Darron Lee in connection with his girlfriend’s death earlier this year.
The indictment was issued Tuesday, according to multiple media reports. Hamilton County (Tenn.) District Attorney Coty Wamp informed local station WTVC that prosecutors have dropped an evidence tampering charge and “will focus solely on the murder.”
Wamp indicated that capital punishment remains a possibility for Lee, with a determination expected in the upcoming weeks.
During a March preliminary hearing, prosecutors revealed evidence that included Lee’s ChatGPT search history. The records showed he had questioned the AI program about handling an unconscious person and what types of wounds would match injuries from a bathroom fall.
The 29-year-old victim, Gabriella Perpetuo, was discovered by emergency personnel on Feb. 5 at the pair’s rented residence in Ooltewah, Tenn., a small community roughly 20 minutes from Lee’s hometown of Chattanooga.
Emergency medical workers responded to the scene and performed life-saving procedures, but the victim died from her wounds and was declared deceased at the location. Lee was named as a suspect and arrested.
Detective Brian Lockhart provided testimony describing the victim’s “severe injuries, including severe brain trauma, a broken neck, bruising across her body, a large bite mark on her shoulder and thigh, stab wounds to her legs and significant facial trauma.”
Lee claimed to investigators that Perpetuo suffered from narcolepsy and probably fell in the bathroom. Lockhart painted a very different picture.
“There was blood going up the staircase, on the hand railing there was blood, on the walls there was blood, on the floor in the living room there was blood, in the floor on the hallway and the stairs … there was blood in just about every room except one,” Lockhart testified.
Lee had previous run-ins with the law in 2023, facing charges for three separate assault incidents involving his mother, the mother of his child and another individual. He also received a felony drug possession charge after missing his court appearance for that matter later that year. He entered guilty pleas to two reduced charges in 2025.
The 31-year-old Lee was a member of the Ohio State squad that captured the 2014 national title before being drafted 20th overall by the New York Jets in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Lee spent portions of five NFL seasons playing for the Jets (2016-18), Kansas City Chiefs (2019) and Buffalo Bills (2020).
